Koneko no Chi: Ponponra Daibouken

After the cartoon of Chi's Sweet Home and Chi's New Address, Chi now makes it to the 3D spectrum. It's been a long time watching this series, a full year since the first episode came out, and it has been a fun ride. If you have not seen or heard of Chi at all, I do recommend starting with the original cartoons before you make your way here. No matter, this review will be generally spoiler free, with only some mentioning of a couple of new characters.

To be honest, the first time I heard Chi was going to be made into a 3D cartoon instead ... of the 2D it was before, I was not a fan of it. I was not used to the new look and I wondered why they did not stick to the older version. But alas, nothing more could be done so I just took it for what it is. None the less, I enjoyed the series as each episode aired, which each one being 12 minutes instead of 3. 51 Episodes might seem like a lot, but if you were to put them together, it adds up to around 25 half hour episodes (approximately), which is about the average length of many anime shows.

For the story part, Chi is generally a slice of life story and there is not much of an overall arc. However some stories are split into a couple of episodes. Overtime they do make continuity callbacks to previous episodes they do air, so it is best to try and watch it in order. This is technically supposed to be a sequel of sorts to Chi's New Address, however I think the continuity between the two shows is a bit muddled (unless I'm remembering wrong). Regardless, each individual episode is charming in its own way and each provides some fun. Granted at the very end of the series I was filled with questions regarding certain characters (like Chi's original family), and hoped to see more in season 2.

Characters in Chi are all great and wonderful. Here we see the return of old characters like Chi, her family, and even Blackie; but we also get lots of new characters too like Come-Come (or Kocchi as its pronounced in the show) and a couple of tabby kittens that look very similar to Chi, hmm...
The characters are all likable in their own ways. Even when Chi is up to mischief she appears as cute as always (although I might be biased to this cause I love cats in general).

The art and animation are vastly different from the original cartoons that came before. Its in 3D for obvious terms which is going to throw people off. When I was first watching Chi I found the 3D aspects to be strange, however overtime I grew used to the 3D look of the show and eventually became pretty ok with it. Honestly compared to some other 3D cartoons/anime I've seen in the past, this one looks pretty fine. The colours all look nice and appealing, and everyone's models and characters do not seem to have any problems (from what I noticed). I will say that with the 3D characters can't be as expressive as the 2D, due to the limitations, but at least they do put an effort to try and mimic the expressions, give them props for that.

The music and sound were pretty good. There isn't really much I can say for this honestly. The background music was alright, I didn't take much notice for it as the episodes past. It did its job of helping to convey mood and emotion well. The sound effects too did their part, helping to convey and time out the more cartoony and silly moments. I will comment on its opening theme, which I think its a really great and catchy song.

While I would like to go full on bias and give it a 10/10 for cats, I need to be honest and give a more fairer score. This anime overall gets a 7/10 for me. Its cute and charming to watch. The characters are all great and likable, you pretty much want to root for everyone. The animation I know will throw off some people, but once you get past it, it is honestly not that bad. If you're someone who enjoys the Chi series and have not gotten around to this yet, then I do recommend it, you will not be disappointed. I also recommend this for those who love cats, and/or want to enjoy some cute, slice of life anime.

I do not know why this is so underated. Here is my review of this wonderful series. This review will be 98% spoiler free.

Story: The story is hardly ever confusing and is always interesting and enjoyable. It is mainly short and simple, with humor and sometimes even sadness.

Characters: The characters are likeble and have quite a bit of personality without being too complicated. We get to see a few flashbacks. (Not too many). Some characters do not have all that much development, but that is usually only minor characters.

Art: The art/animation is pretty good. CG is not welcomed, but Chi's Sweet Adventure is a good ... example of decent CG. The animation is not at all choppy. The human character's beady eyes sometimes look odd.

Voice acting (Sub): I think the voice acting in the sub is amazing. There is emotion in every phrase said.

Voice acting (Dub): The voice acting is just a little less good than the sub. Still pretty decent emotion, but the actors sometimes sound like they are reading a book to a little kid.

Sorry if my review was a little long. If you have Amazon Prime, I would highly suggest this anime if you are looking for a cute slice of life anime.

Hello people,

I love Chii's Sweet Home, in 2D or 3D. When I started watching Koneko no Chi, I noticed that the animation was totally different, I deduced that the essence of the episodes would be too. But I was mistaken! Chii is still Chii. Fun episodes, totally innocent but at the same time mixed with strong emotions that make you cry.

[SPOILER]

I really "fell apart" in the last episode, when Chii didn't want to go home, so Kocchi asked, "Why don't you go home even though you have one?" And she said, "Today was empty ... I was home, but I wasn't home." Only those who ... have family problems will understand the emptiness that Chii was feeling. At the same time, Kocchi was sad for his brother, who was taken for being a "cuter" kitten than he was. These are things that really make you reflect.

There was also the episode where Yohan realized that cats have a world of their own, and he would not have a place in that world. These deep thoughts also arose in the original Chii season, which is why I say and repeat: Koneko no Chii still has the same essence!

[CAN READ NOW!]

The soundtrack is so much fun and the art is unexpectedly amazing! It also thrilled me that Kocchi became one of the main characters. I love him since he showed up at OVA, so it was a very nice surprise. Also, it was amazing that the Chii brothers showed up.

I also noticed that they made Chii a little more fanciful than the original season. But it is not a defect; quite the contrary, it was great! Maybe the only thing I didn't get used to was that the episodes got a little longer.

Anyway, although I love this new season, the original will always have a special place in my heart because she was part of my childhood and filled my past children with many tears and smiles.

Highly recommended!